 |
Germans tip Schumacher to retire in 2012(0) More than half of Michael Schumacher’s German compatriots think the seven time world champion will return to retirement at the end of this year. After three years of retirement, the 43-year-old returned to F1 in 2010 on a three-year Mercedes contract, which runs out in 2012. SID news agency commissioned the German market research company Promit to carry out a survey as to whether respondents think Schumacher will quit at the end of this year. 55.4 per cent answered yes, while only 26.2 per cent said they think Schumacher should sign on for at least another season. The winner of a record 91 grands prix has failed to see the chequered flag in three of the five races so far this year, finishing just tenth in both Malaysia and Bahrain. In contrast, teammate Nico Rosberg’s three top-seven finishes in 2012 included pole and victory in China, netting him 41 points compared with Schumacher’s 2 overall. “I don’t think we can write him (Schumacher) off yet,” insisted Telegraph correspondent Tom Cary this week. “His pace hasn’t been bad and he started the season very well. (He) was unlucky in quite a few races, his wheel fell off when he was running second in China and could have had a big haul of points. “He is making mistakes in wheel-to-wheel racing though. But if he gets a few decent finishes or even wins a race then we could see him continue (in 2013),” added Cary. |
 |
Maldonado wins, Alonso and Vettel lead title(0) F1′s astonishing season continues to live up to the hype, as a fifth driver and constructor on Sunday won the fifth grand prix of 2012. Not only is the victory Pastor Maldonado’s first, his walk up the steps at the Circuit de Catalunya was the first taste of the podium in his two-season F1 career. It’s also the first Venezuelan triumph in the sport’s history, and a hugely popular victory for Williams, the once-great British team headed by Sir Frank Williams, whose 70th birthday was warmly celebrated in the paddock on Saturday. “Boy did we need that,” said Williams on BBC television. And asked how he feels on Sky television, he smiled: “Relief.” “Some said Maldonado was a pay driver and he didn’t deserve his place in formula one but they’ll be eating their words now,” commented former team driver David Coulthard. “That was a fantastic drive,” added Coulthard, referring to Williams’ first win since Juan Pablo Montoya in 2004. Williams enthused: “I didn’t see him (Maldonado) make one single mistake.” “You can’t really fault him,” agreed Williams’ 1996 world champion Damon Hill. Amazingly, however, away from the champagne, Sebastian Vettel’s sixth place leaves him at the top of the drivers’ championship, and he is now neck-and-neck with Fernando Alonso, who finished second on Sunday in the improving Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton, who finished dead last on Sunday and finished eighth, is third in the points classification, ahead of Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen. Finn Raikkonen finished third on Sunday, and is the favourite to become F1′s sixth different winner of 2012 in Monaco in a fortnight. “We showed we still have the speed,” the Lotus driver said after the Spanish grand prix. “If we had a few more laps, we could have fought for a victory.” |
 |
Dani Clos will take part in the first free practice session at the Spanish GP(0) Spanish driver Dani Clos will step into the F112 for the first time on Friday to take part in the first free practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix which will take place at the Circuit de Catalunya. 23 year-old Clos will substitute teammate Narain Karthikeyan for that session and will join Pedro de la Rosa for the first 90 minutes of practice in Montmeló. It will be history in the making for HRT Formula 1 Team at the Circuit de Catalunya since this will be the first time that two Spanish drivers hit the track forming a part of a Spanish team at the Spanish Grand Prix. It will be a moment to remember for Spanish motorsport and a great opportunity for Clos to prove his worth in front of his home crowd. After having completed 377.67 kilometres at the helm of the F111 in the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi last November and having joined the team as an official test driver in February, Dani Clos will take another step on Friday and will fulfill another vital aspect of his testing role by completing his first laps at the wheel of the F112. A car that will be brining a series of aerodynamic upgrades for this important Grand Prix. Dani Clos: “I’m delighted to have this opportunity. It’s something I’ve fought for all my life; to make my debut in Formula 1 and, above all, to be able to do it at the Circuit de Catalunya which is something very special for me. Besides, I’m extremely lucky to be able to do it with a Spanish team, alongside another Spanish driver who I admire and at home. I can’t ask for more! It’s the ideal situation and I’m proud to be where I am with the people who have always been with me and still are. I hope to extract a lot of data from this practice session, contribute with positive things to the team and do my job in the best way I can. I feel 100% ready and I can’t wait for the moment I step into the car and hit the track”. Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal HRT: “I’m very proud and happy that this moment has arrived and that we’ve given Dani the chance to get in the car on Friday’s first free practice session at such a special and important Grand Prix as is a home Grand Prix. In this first contact he will drive next to Pedro de la Rosa and will have the chance to drive the new F112 for the first time. It’s an important session given the short amount of time on track that we have and more so when you take into account the various aerodynamic upgrades which we have brought. Dani is a great driver and I have no doubt that he will do a good job. Besides, this debut also represents another step forward in our desire for HRT to serve as a platform for young drivers to make it into F1”. DANI CLOS – PROFILE AND CAREER SUMMARY Dani Clos was born in Barcelona on the 23rd of October 1988. With a renowned trajectory in karting, Clos made his debut in single-seater racing in 2004 in Formula Renault Italia 2.0, going on to win the Championship in 2006. A year later he joined Renault’s F1 programme and took part in the Formula Three Euroseries. In 2008 he entered Williams F1′s young drivers’ programme and finished in 2nd in the 24H Barcelona race. In 2009 he made his debut in the GP2 series, with a 3rd place finish in Portimao being his best result. In his second year in GP2 he achieved his first win in Turkey alongside various podium finishes. Last year, Dani Clos took one win and two podiums in what was his third season as a GP2 driver. Also in 2011, he took part in the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi with HRT F1 Team, completing total of 377.67km in one day and leaving a very good impression on the team. In 2012, Dani Clos joins the HRT Formula 1 Team as its official test driver. Career Summary: 2012 F1: test driver, HRT Formula 1 Team |
 |
Sauber wins update race at Mugello test opener(0) Sauber was the team with the biggest update package as F1′s ultra-rare in-season test began on Tuesday. Kamui Kobayashi was in charge of the revised C31, which including a new exhaust and front wing represented “the biggest update package” of all the teams at Mugello, according to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport. McLaren, in contrast, have taken “no great updates” to Tuscany, which explains why Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have left the task up to the British team’s test drivers. It was a similar story in the Mercedes camp. Williams’ Valtteri Bottas, however, was in charge of testing a new McLaren-like exhaust for the FW34, while Ferrari also has a new exhaust for the F2012. On Thursday, as the three-day test wraps up, the famous Italian team will debut other developments, including a new engine cover and sidepods. A new front wing, nose and floor will only be ready for Barcelona. There were no radical modifications on display by Red Bull, who instead want to use the Mugello test to work on car setup. “We still need to learn how to get the most from what we have,” confirmed Bahrain winner Sebastian Vettel. For that purpose, the Ferrari-owned Mugello circuit might not actually be the best venue. “It’s great for driving,” said Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg, “but for the engineers Barcelona would be a bit better because there are all types of corners. “At Mugello they are mainly fast, and virtually none at low speed.” |
 |
Vettel wins, takes title lead in BahrainComments Off F1′s surprise 2012 season has kept on bubbling in Bahrain. It is a measure of the excitement and unpredictability of the new championship that, just days after some media said the reigning title winner was in ‘crisis’, Sebastian Vettel won from pole and took the lead of the 2012 points standings. But the German only narrowly beat the returning 2009 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, with Lotus also completing the surprise podium as Romain Grosjean sampled the sport’s prestigious rostrum for the very first time. Vettel leads the championship by 4 points from Lewis Hamilton, who finished just eighth. Red Bull also leads the constructors’ chase, by 9 points from McLaren. Vettel is the fourth different winner in F1′s four races so far this year, following Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg. It is his first win since India last year. “How many good stories can we have in formula one in terms of the racing?” David Coulthard said on BBC television. “We’re only four races in and we’ve had such a mix of winners.” |
 |
Lauda: Winning ‘easier now’ for RosbergComments Off More wins could quickly follow for F1′s newest race victor, Nico Rosberg. The Mercedes driver began the 2012 season with more than a century of races under his belt, causing some pundits to predict he will never taste winning champagne. But he broke through in China just a day after his maiden pole. “I took 113 (races to win) and he’s on 111,” 2009 world champion Jenson Button smiled in Shanghai. Niki Lauda thinks Rosberg’s next wins will be easier. “It (winning) gets easier,” the Austrian legend said in China late on Sunday, “because he know you can do it, and you’ve proved it. “The next victories come quite quickly,” Lauda told the German broadcaster RTL. Patrick Tambay won just two grands prix in consecutive seasons, 1982 and 1983, but he said the first one – achieved in Keke Rosberg’s championship year – came with “a sense of completion”. “After that, things seem easier,” said the Frenchman, “especially so when you’ve waited 110 grands prix! “It will feel like a relief,” Tambay told RMC Sport. “Now, he’s still young at 26 but with a lot of experience; he has everything he needs to reproduce this victory. “The first is the most difficult.” However, Tambay thinks Rosberg has a fight on his hands if he thinks the Shanghai victory is a springboard to a potential championship challenge. “I see the McLaren as the best car of the season. They passed up a good opportunity for the (China GP) win,” he said. |
 |
Ma Qing Hua joins HRT Formula 1 Team’s Driver Development ProgrammeComments Off HRT Formula 1 Team announces the incorporation of Chinese driver Ma Qing Hua to the Spanish team’s young driver development programme. The formation programme designed by HRT F1 Team for Ma Qing Hua includes professional assessment in his career as a driver, private tests with cars from different categories and simulator tests. If the results of the partnership are satisfactory, Qing Hua could take to the wheel of the F112 at the Formula 1 Young Driver test. Ma Qing Hua will perform his first official act with HRT Formula 1 Team on Thursday the 12th of April at a press conference previous to the Chinese Grand Prix (13th to 15th of April), which takes place at the Shanghai International Circuit. The details of the press conference will be announced shortly. The incorporation of Ma Qing Hua to HRT Formula 1 Team’s driver development programme is part of the Spanish team’s strategy in order to serve as a platform for the formation of professionals in the pinnacle of world motorsport. The driver born in Shanghai has been competing in different categories of national and international motorsport for many years. His incorporation to HRT F1 Team’s Driver Development Programme takes place after some simulator tests and a testing session in Cheste (Valencia) at the wheel of a World Series car. The qualities and attitude of Qing Hua convinced Luis Pérez-Sala of his potential to incorporate him to the programme which Dani Clos, HRT F1 Team test driver, is also a part of. Ma Qing Hua: “I’m very honoured to form a part of the driver development programme at HRT Formula 1 Team since, with work and effort, it will allow me to become the first Chinese Formula 1 driver. It’s a very special moment for me and it’s hard to express how happy I am. I’ve dreamt of becoming a Formula 1 driver since I was very small. I started in the karting world when I was 8 years old and I worked really hard to learn and become quicker every time. After competing in categories such as Formula campus, Formula Renault and F3, I learned a lot about car set-up, technique on circuits and team work to become more professional every time. And now finally my childhood dream has become true thanks to the opportunity that HRT has granted me to become an F1 driver. And even more so this year with all the drivers who are competing, with 6 world champions amongst them. Driving an F1 car will be the most incredible experience and I’m going to work hard to earn it. Thanks to HRT for offering me the chance to show what I’m capable of. And thanks to my family and everyone who has always supported me. This is only the beginning”. Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal: “We are working so that one of the team’s signs of identity is to serve as a platform to launch young drivers, both nationally and internationally. Ma Qing Hua is one those talents in which we believe and we want to help him in his career so that he can make it to Formula 1. We like his conditions and we want to take part in his formation by incorporating him to the team’s Driver Development Programme so that he can participate in races and private tests, with the objective of him being able to take part in the Formula 1 tests reserved to young drivers. Due to my responsibility in the Circuit de Catalunya young driver programme, I’ve been able to follow his progress and personally assisted some tests he did. I knew he had potential, but I was surprised with his speed, safety, adaptation capacity, attitude and professionalism. All these virtues make us believe that his incorporation to the programme will be very positive and will lead to a fruitful and lasting relationship”. Profile Date of Birth: 25th of December 1987 Ma Qing Hua started racing at the tender age of 8 and won the youth National Karting Championship when he was 12 years old. He continued to race and achieve successful results in karting until 2004, when he entered the Asian Formula Renault Series and won the championship. In 2005 he represented Team China in A1 Grand Prix. From here he would move on to Formula Renault 2.0 NEC, before competing in Formula 3 Spain and Formula 3 Spain “Copa de España”, managing two podiums this season. One year later, the Chinese driver took part in various events of the British Formula 3 International Series. In 2010 he represented Team China for two races in Superleague Formula before moving onto the Chinese Touring Car Championship in 2011 where he came away with the title after four wins and four podiums in the eight-race season. Career Summary: 2011: Chinese Touring Car Championship: 1st in the Championship (4 wins and 4 podiums) |
 |
Hamilton: McLaren must improve race paceComments Off Lewis Hamilton has vowed to push his McLaren engineers to improve the race pace of the British team’s 2012 car. The 2008 world champion put the MP4-27 on pole position for both the Australian and Malaysian grands prix, but then failed to have winning pace in the all-important races. “In qualifying we are very quick but we need to be quicker in the race,” Briton Hamilton is quoted by the Sun newspaper. “I don’t think we are quick enough.” F1′s next stop is in Shanghai mid next month. “We will have some upgrades for the car, I hope,” said Hamilton. “I will go and push the guys to see if we can get some upgrades to try and squeak ahead in the race.” He admitted to being disappointed after the two races so far this season, when the MP4-27′s qualifying promise did not power him to wins. “The main thing is I need to pick up my race pace,” Hamilton is quoted by PA Sport. “I spoke to Fernando (Alonso) and Sergio (Perez) after (the race in Malaysia) and they had lots of understeer whereas I had lots of oversteer. “Maybe I’m setting the car up too aggressively, so I might make some changes for the next two races,” he said. This article may not be copied, redistributed, retransmitted, published, or exploited in any way, in whole or in part, without the express permission of Global Motorsport Media. |
 |
Gascoyne would choose Button over HamiltonComments Off If Caterham’s Mike Gascoyne was in the market for a McLaren driver, he would sign Jenson Button. But a decade on, Gascoyne says the tables have now turned, as 2009 world champion Button now heads the 2012 points standings for McLaren. “We weren’t wrong (to replace Button), Fernando won two titles very quickly, but Jenson has developed into a hell of a driver,” Gascoyne is quoted by the UK Express newspaper. He said Button’s advantage over Lewis Hamilton, his highly rated teammate, is his mental strength. “The difference right now is that Jenson can handle it when Lewis wins, but Lewis really struggles when Jenson does,” said Gascoyne. Another of Button’s strengths, he explained, is his smooth driving style, which better conserves Pirelli’s highly-degrading tyres. “Lewis is struggling to match that and then with his attacking style, the more aggression he puts in the harder it gets for him in the race,” said Gascoyne. Comparing today’s Button with the 22-year-old of 2002, Gascoyne concluded: “Jenson is still the same nice guy, same talent, but mentally so very strong. Right now, Jenson would be the man for me.” In an interview with Spanish agency EFE, Pedro de la Rosa summed up Button with the words “finesse and intelligence”. |
 |
Perez admits possibility of Ferrari futureComments Off Sergio Perez has admitted the possibility he could be paired with Fernando Alonso next year at Ferrari. At the same time, however, Red Bull’s reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel regularly declares his desire to one day race a Ferrari. “Ah, yes,” Perez told the Spanish sports daily Marca. So who is the real front-runner for Massa’s seat? “We will see,” he insisted, “as ultimately it depends on this year, which for me is very important.” Perez, 22, admitted at least that he is a leading candidate. “Yes, but this season is yet to even start and everything changes very fast in a year. There are many things that are yet to have been seen,” he said. “For me, Ferrari is the greatest team for which all the drivers dream of one day winning the championship but … let’s see. I would love to be there some day.” Perez acknowledged that Spaniard Alonso, Ferrari’s much-loved number one, would be a difficult teammate. “Very difficult, I would say Alonso is the most difficult on all of the grid to have as your teammate, I respect him a lot,” he insisted. Reportedly on the cusp of a top seat, Perez is nonetheless still fending off suggestions he is a ‘pay driver’, due to his strong backing by the Mexican sponsor Telmex. “In these days you do depend more on your support,” admitted Perez, “but I believe the talent remains the priority. “Even with the drivers having support, I don’t think there are any bad drivers on the grid. “I was criticised a lot for coming with the Telmex money, but if you look back, a driver who wins five races in GP2 and loses the title by 10 points will normally go in F1 the next year. “It (Telmex) is an influence, but to say it’s why I’m here is not fair,” he insisted. |
 |
Press tips ‘small advantage’ for Red BullComments Off Most leading specialist publications see Red Bull as the continuing pacesetter in formula one. “They still have an advantage, but it’s smaller,” agreed Jenson Button, according to Brazil’s O Estado de S.Paulo. His boss Martin Whitmarsh added: “Red Bull has a solid, fast car, better than us in slow corners, but we’re better in the fast ones.” Switzerland’s Sonntagsblick, however, sees McLaren actually ahead of the energy drink-owned team, with Mercedes in third place and Force India a surprise fourth. “Red Bull is faster (than Mercedes),” said the German marque’s boss Ross Brawn, “and clearly a little more than we had hoped for,” he told Auto Motor und Sport. The international publications said Lotus, amid their chassis flaw problems, rank anywhere between third (Auto Motor und Sport) and eighth (Blick). According to the same press, Ferrari is in trouble, ranking no higher than fifth in the lists of the aforementioned publications — and the authoritative Auto Motor und Sport predicting nothing short of a disastrous season for the fabled Italian team. Felipe Massa is quoted by Spanish reporters as saying Barcelona was “a little more positive” than the Jerez test recently, and he was asked to rank the development of the new F2012 car out of ten. “Probably more than five. There is still much to do, but now we are closer than we were,” said the Brazilian. As for whether the car is a race winner, Massa added: “I hope so, but it’s very difficult to say anything in testing,” he is quoted by Finland’s Turun Sanomat. Indeed, Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi ended last week’s Barcelona test with the quickest time, but Blick’s veteran correspondent Roger Benoit warned against taking that too seriously. “When with the same tyres at the same time, (Mercedes’ Nico) Rosberg was a second faster per lap than Sauber’s Japanese,” he said. “In testing, the truth is seldom revealed — if the teams used lie detectors, they would all be laying exploded around us.” According to Britain’s Sun newspaper, Kobayashi confirmed: “I don’t think McLaren and Red Bull are slow. “We don’t really wish for wins or podiums. For us this is a bit too far away.” Instead, the midfield battle looks extremely tight, with Brazilian correspondent Livio Oricchio surmising that Sauber as well as Force India, Toro Rosso and Williams are all in there. “It will be race to race,” Toro Rosso’s Giorgio Ascanelli told the Italian press. “From what we’ve seen so far, this fight will be amazing.” And Oricchio concluded: “As for HRT and Marussia, who have not even presented their 2012 cars, they undoubtedly have capable people, but also almost as many difficulties.” |
 |
McLaren signs former driver Magnussen’s son(1) McLaren has signed up the son of a former team driver to test its 2012 formula one car later this year. He moved on to contest 24 grands prix with Stewart until he was stepped down for poor performances in 1998. Now, the 38-year-old’s son Kevin, who is 19, has been signed up for McLaren’s young driver programme, which will include a seat at the young driver test later this year. Like Gary Paffett and Oliver Turvey, Magnussen will also work in McLaren’s state-of-the-art simulator. He first caught McLaren’s attention in 2010, and last year finished runner-up in the British F3 championship with eight poles and seven wins. This year, he will contest the Renault World Series. “The team has shown great faith in me so far and I feel that this is an important step in my career,” said Magnussen. |
 |
Dani Clos joins HRT F1 Team as its new test driver for 2012Comments Off HRT F1 Team has reached an agreement with Dani Clos by which the young 23-year-old driver from Barcelona will become test driver of the Spanish outfit for the 2012 season.
The incorporation of Clos is another step in the team’s aspirations of establishing itself as a platform for young talents to reach the pinnacle of world motorsport.
Dani Clos will form an integral part of the team, taking part in several free practice sessions on Fridays and travelling to every Grand Prix throughout the season, with the main objective of learning and getting to know the team. There is a lot of hard work ahead of him but Dani will have the whole team’s support, including that of his teammates Narain Karthikeyan and Pedro de la Rosa, to help him learn and progress in such a demanding environment.
Dani Clos experienced his first contact with the team this past November, during the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi, and made the most of the opportunity given to him. The good sensations that the team and driver had, along with the objective of strengthening HRT F1 Team, helped to reach a quick agreement that was desired by both parties.
The Spanish driver will start to exert his functions as the team’s test driver immediately and will be with the team for the third pre-season tests in Barcelona from the 1st to the 4th of March.
Dani Clos: “I’m very proud to be a part of HRT Formula 1 Team. It is a great step in my career, something that I have dreamt of all my life and, finally, my dream is starting to come true. I’m very impressed with the job the team is doing; they’re achieving fantastic things in a short space of time. The team has changed a lot since we met in the Abu Dhabi tests and I think it’s a great opportunity and an honor to form a part of this new team. What they’re achieving is very important for motorsport in our country and has a lot of potential. Also, being alongside Pedro de la Rosa is very important for me, since he and Karthikeyan can positively contribute to me becoming a better driver. I want to thank Saúl Ruíz de Marcos and Luis Pérez-Sala for the trust they’ve shown in me from the start and, above all, I would like to thank the people who have always been by my side, such as Leonardo Soldevila and my father. For me a new chapter is beginning, one where hard work and dedication are going to be my priorities; I’m going to give it my all so that this phase is as successful as it can possibly be for the team, my teammates and myself”.
Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal of HRT: “I’m very happy to have Dani on the team. He’s a quick, talented driver who, above all, is very willing to progress. The incorporation of Clos is another step in our project of restructuring HRT but also fits in with our desire to promote young motorsport talents. I’m sure that it will be a very positive experience for both parties”.
-Ends-
Dani Clos – Profile
Date of Birth: 23rd of October 1988 Place of Birth: Barcelona (Spain) Nationality: Spanish Height: 1,77cm Weight: 68 kg Country and place of residence: Barcelona (Spain) Website: www.daniclos.com Twitter: @daniclos
Dani Clos was born in Barcelona on the 23rd of October 1988. With a renowned trajectory in karting, Clos made his debut in single-seater racing in 2004 in Formula Renault Italia 2.0, going on to win the Championship in 2006. A year later he joined Renault’s F1 programme and took part in the Formula Three Euroseries. In 2008 he entered Williams F1’s young drivers’ programme and finished in 2nd in the 24H Barcelona race. In 2009 he made his debut in the GP2 series, with a 3rd place finish in Portimao being his best result. In his second year in GP2 he achieved his first win in Turkey alongside various podium finishes. Last year, Dani Clos took one win and two podiums in what was his third season as a GP2 driver. Also in 2011, he took part in the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi with HRT F1 Team, completing total of 377.67km in one day and leaving a very good impression on the team.
Career Summary:
2011: GP2: Racing Engineering, 9thin the Championship F1: Young Driver Test with HRT F1 Team 2010: GP2: Racing Engineering, 4thin the Championship (1 race win) 2009: GP2: Racing Engineering, 21stin the Championship 2008: F3 Euroseries: Prema Powerteam: 14thin the Championship 2007: F3 Euroseries: Signature Plus: 13thin the Championship 2006: Formula Renault 2.0 Italia: Champion (8 race wins) Renault 2.0 Eurocup: 7th position 2005: Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0: 32ndin the Championship Italian Formula Renault Championship: 16th in the Championship |
 |
Massa: “This year’s results have not matched my expectations”Comments Off Today’s FIA press conference at the Interlagos circuit was an all-Brazilian affair, with the two “new boys,” Lucas di Grassi and Bruno Senna, joined by their senior colleagues, Rubens Barrichello and Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro’s Felipe Massa. Indeed, it was an all Paulista affair as the four are from the city of Sao Paolo. Asked to look back at this season, Felipe singled out his qualifying performance as the worst feature of 2010. “This year’s results have not matched my expectations, especially in qualifying where I struggled to put together a good first lap on fresh tyres,” he said. “It’s true there have also been some races where I failed to finish in the points and then there was Singapore, where a qualifying problem meant I had to start from the back.” As to this weekend’s home race, Felipe shared his fellow panelists’ enthusiasm for the Interlagos circuit. “I have great memories from here with two wins and poles in 2006, ’07 and ’08, which was the last time I raced here. Then going even further back, at the start of my career, I won here twice in Formula Chevrolet. This track has many interesting challenges and you can be creative with the set-up, while many sections of the track require a very technical approach. It might be a short lap, not like most of the new tracks, but this circuit is very well thought out and there is always overtaking here and some nice fights. But it is really the Brazilian people who make Interlagos special – they are so hot with emotion and they sing all day long in the grandstands, which is great for us Brazilian drivers, giving us some extra power.” Mathematically, Fernando Alonso has a chance of winning the Drivers’ title on Sunday and Felipe was asked if he felt it might happen. “Well, Fernando is leading right now, so for sure I think he can do it here, but as we have seen this season, everything is possible. My personal aim is to try and win the race and of course I can help Fernando by taking points away from his rivals.” This week sees the premiere of a film made about the life of Ayrton Senna and all four drivers were asked for their memories of the great Brazilian champion, who died during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. “Ayrton was really amazing and I remember so many of his races,” said Felipe. “But what really stands out in my mind was his ability in qualifying, not only taking pole in so many races, but often doing so with a big gap over the rest. For me, that was his strongest point.” |
 |
Heidfeld : Alonso title due to team orders ‘a shame’ for F1Comments Off Nick Heidfeld on Thursday said it would be a shame if the team orders saga is seen to have influenced the outcome of the drivers’ world championship. With two races to go, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso is 11 points ahead of Red Bull’s Mark Webber in the points standings. 7 of those points were earned in Hockenheim, where Alonso’s teammate Felipe Massa was controversially moved aside despite team orders being banned in F1. Ferrari was fined $100,000 for the move but Alonso kept his points. “If Alonso wins the championship with a margin less than the 7 points, it would devalue the championship — that’s a personal view,” said former FIA president Max Mosley. Red Bull’s team boss Christian Horner agrees, stating that seeing Alonso win because of the extra points would be “frustrating”. Sauber driver Heidfeld said in Brazil on Thursday: “From a team’s perspective, it (team orders) is perhaps understandable. “But it would be a shame if the championship is decided by the fact that Red Bull has followed the rules while others see it maybe differently. “If that happens, I would really hope that Red Bull’s behaviour is seen in a positive way,” the German is quoted by the news agency SID. Earlier this week, McLaren team boss and FOTA chairman Martin Whitmarsh refused to say a title win for Alonso would reflect badly on the sport. “I think we’ve had a very good championship and that’s what we should think about, full stop,” he said. |
Contacts and information
|
Social networks |
Most popular categories |
